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80NSSC19K1427

Project Grant

Overview

Grant Description
Objectives: This proposal will enhance the scientific basis upon which NASA formulates and implements search-for-life strategies on ocean worlds. Anticipating that the diversity of ocean worlds may vary greatly in the abundance and productivity of life they could support (their biological potential) and the nature and abundance of evidence for life they could manifest (their biosignature potential), we ask: On which ocean worlds and with what measurements will we have the greatest potential to successfully detect the presence of life?

We will integrate astrobiology, ocean system, and planetary sciences to pursue this question guided by two basic principles: (I) both biological potential and biosignature potential are governed by a network of geophysical and (bio)geochemical processes, not just static conditions; (II) to be of greatest utility, efforts to quantify biological potential and biosignature potential must identify which observable features are most diagnostic of that network of processes.

With this basis, our principle objectives are to (1) construct and employ a theoretical framework to quantify the dependence of biological and biosignature potential on geophysical and (bio)geochemical processes; (2) conduct an extensive sensitivity analysis to identify which observable features would be most powerfully diagnostic of processes that determine biological and biosignature potential. The latter analysis will identify high priorities for research and development to support the search for life on ocean worlds, particularly spacecraft measurement capabilities that can best resolve biological and biosignature potential and understudied ocean system processes and settings for which Earth analogs should be sought.

Implementation: We will address these objectives by constructing a comprehensive theoretical framework, informed and groundtruthed by experimental efforts, that connects the broad spectrum of physical and chemical processes that could govern the fluxes of material and energy within an ocean system and thereby determine biological and biosignature potential. The processes active within any ocean are integrated at the system scale, respecting no disciplinary boundaries. Consequently, we have assembled a team with a diversity of expertise in astrobiology, together with leaders in the study of processes across the various interfaces of the Earth-ocean-life system. Our team members will work across a network of six interconnected investigations. Each investigation is inherently interdisciplinary in itself, but as in Earth's oceans, we predict that it will be at the interfaces between these different sets of investigations that our most exciting and original discoveries will be made. Our goal is thus to move beyond the modeling and experimental efforts planned for each component of the system to explore the feedbacks and interconnections among those components. We will do so with dedicated synthesis activities that engage both within and beyond our team to develop a flexible interpretive framework that integrates a diversity of geophysical and geochemical observations to quantify biological and biosignature potential of any ocean world.

Significance: Our project aims to develop a new culture at the intersection of astrobiology and oceanography, where both disciplines can build on insights and methodology gained from each other. We are directly responsive to Major Topic 5 of the NASA Astrobiology Strategy 2015, identifying, exploring, and characterizing environments for habitability and biosignatures, and our work will both broaden and deepen collaboration within the NAI, particularly through bridging between and adding broader context to CAN 7 teams: Rock Powered Life and Icy Worlds. Our work will improve the confidence with which we can interpret existing and planned observations (e.g. Cassini, Europa Clipper) and help prioritize development of new measurement capabilities for ocean world exploration.
Funding Goals
OBJECTIVES: THIS PROPOSAL WILL ENHANCE THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS UPON WHICH NASA FORMULATES AND IMPLEMENTS SEARCH-FOR-LIFE STRATEGIES ONOCEAN WORLDS. ANTICIPATING THAT THE DIVERSITY OF OCEAN WORLDS MAY VARY GREATLY IN THE ABUNDANCE AND PRODUCTIVITY OF LIFE THEY COULDSUPPORT (THEIR BIOLOGICAL POTENTIAL) AND THE NATURE AND ABUNDANCE OF EVIDENCE FOR LIFE THEY COULD MANIFEST (THEIR BIOSIGNATURE POTENTIAL) WE ASK: ON WHICH OCEAN WORLDS AND WITH WHAT MEASUREMENTS WILL WE HAVE THE GREATEST POTENTIAL TO SUCCESSFULLY DETECT THE PRESENCE OF LIFE? WE WILL INTEGRATE ASTROBIOLOGY OCEAN SYSTEM AND PLANETARY SCIENCES TO PURSUE THIS QUESTION GUIDED BY TWO BASIC PRINCIPLES:(I) BOTH BIOLOGICAL POTENTIAL AND BIOSIGNATURE POTENTIAL ARE GOVERNED BY A NETWORK OF GEOPHYSICAL AND (BIO) GEOCHEMICAL PROCESSES NOT JUST STATIC CONDITIONS;(II) TO BE OF GREATEST UTILITY EFFORTS TO QUANTIFY BIOLOGICAL POTENTIAL AND BIOSIGNATURE POTENTIAL MUST IDENTIFY WHICH OBSERVABLE FEATURES ARE MOST DIAGNOSTIC OF THAT NETWORK OF PROCESSES. WITH THIS BASIS OUR PRINCIPLE OBJECTIVES ARE TO (1) CONSTRUCT AND EMPLOY A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK TO QUANTIFY THE DEPENDENCE OF BIOLOGICAL AND BIOSIGNATURE POTENTIAL ON GEOPHYSICAL AND (BIO)GEOCHEMICAL PROCESSES; (2) CONDUCT AN EXTENSIVE SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS TO IDENTIFY WHICH OBSERVABLE FEATURES WOULDBE MOST POWERFULLY DIAGNOSTIC OF PROCESSES THAT DETERMINE BIOLOGICAL AND BIOSIGNATURE POTENTIAL. THE LATTER ANALYSIS WILL IDENTIFYHIGH PRIORITIES FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT TO SUPPORT THE SEARCH FOR LIFE ON OCEAN WORLDS PARTICULARLY SPACECRAFT MEASUREMENT CAPABILITIES THAT CAN BEST RESOLVE BIOLOGICAL AND BIOSIGNATURE POTENTIAL AND UNDERSTUDIED OCEAN SYSTEM PROCESSES AND SETTINGS FOR WHICH EARTH ANALOGS SHOULD BE SOUGHT. IMPLEMENTATION: WE WILL ADDRESS THESE OBJECTIVES BY CONSTRUCTING A COMPREHENSIVE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK INFORMED AND GROUNDTRUTHED BY EXPERIMENTAL EFFORTS THAT CONNECTS THE BROAD SPECTRUM OF PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROCESSES THATCOULD GOVERN THE FLUXES OF MATERIAL AND ENERGY WITHIN AN OCEAN SYSTEM AND THEREBY DETERMINE BIOLOGICAL AND BIOSIGNATURE POTENTIAL.THE PROCESSES ACTIVE WITHIN ANY OCEAN ARE INTEGRATED AT THE SYSTEM SCALE RESPECTING NO DISCIPLINARY BOUNDARIES. CONSEQUENTLY WE HAVE ASSEMBLED A TEAM WITH A DIVERSITY OF EXPERTISE IN ASTROBIOLOGY TOGETHER WITH LEADERS IN THE STUDY OF PROCESSES ACROSS THE VARIOUS INTERFACES OF THE EARTH-OCEAN-LIFE SYSTEM. OUR TEAM MEMBERS WILL WORK ACROSS A NETWORK OF SIX INTERCONNECTED INVESTIGATIONS. EACHINVESTIGATION IS INHERENTLY INTERDISCIPLINARY IN ITSELF BUT AS IN EARTH S OCEANS WE PREDICT THAT IT WILL BE AT THE INTERFACES BETWEEN THESE DIFFERENT SETS OF INVESTIGATIONS THAT OUR MOST EXCITING AND ORIGINAL DISCOVERIES WILL BE MADE. OUR GOAL IS THUS TO MOVE BEYOND THE MODELING AND EXPERIMENTAL EFFORTS PLANNED FOR EACH COMPONENT OF THE SYSTEM TO EXPLORE THE FEEDBACKS AND INTERCONNECTIONSAMONG THOSE COMPONENTS. WE WILL DO SO WITH DEDICATED SYNTHESIS ACTIVITIES THAT ENGAGE BOTH WITHIN AND BEYOND OUR TEAM TO DEVELOP AFLEXIBLE INTERPRETIVE FRAMEWORK THAT INTEGRATES A DIVERSITY OF GEOPHYSICAL AND GEOCHEMICAL OBSERVATIONS TO QUANTIFY BIOLOGICAL ANDBIOSIGNATURE POTENTIAL OF ANY OCEAN WORLD. SIGNIFICANCE: OUR PROJECT AIMS TO DEVELOP A NEW CULTURE AT THE INTERSECTION OF ASTROBIOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY WHERE BOTH DISCIPLINES CAN BUILD ON INSIGHTS AND METHODOLOGY GAINED FROM EACH OTHER. WE ARE DIRECTLY RESPONSIVE TO MAJOR TOPIC 5 OF THE NASA ASTROBIOLOGY STRATEGY 2015 IDENTIFYING EXPLORING AND CHARACTERIZING ENVIRONMENTS FOR HABITABILITY AND BIOSIGNATURES AND OUR WORK WILL BOTH BROADEN AND DEEPEN COLLABORATION WITHIN THE NAI PARTICULARLY THROUGH BRIDGING BETWEEN AND ADDING BROADER CONTEXT TO CAN 7 TEAMS: ROCK POWERED LIFE AND ICY WORLDS. OUR WORK WILL IMPROVE THE CONFIDENCE WITH WHICH WE CAN INTERPRET EXISTING AND PLANNED OBSERVATIONS (E.G. CASSINI EUROPA CLIPPER) AND HELP PRIORITIZE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW MEASUREMENT CAPABILITIES FOR OCEAN WORLD EXPLORATION.
Grant Program (CFDA)
Awarding / Funding Agency
Place of Performance
Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543-1536 United States
Geographic Scope
Single Zip Code
Related Opportunity
NOT APPLICABLE
Analysis Notes
Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been extended from 08/01/24 to 08/01/25 and the total obligations have increased 201% from $2,030,840 to $6,105,565.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution was awarded Enhancing NASA's Search-for-Life Strategies on Ocean Worlds Project Grant 80NSSC19K1427 worth $6,105,565 from Shared Services Center in August 2019 with work to be completed primarily in Woods Hole Massachusetts United States. The grant has a duration of 6 years and was awarded through assistance program 43.001 Science.

Status
(Complete)

Last Modified 3/21/25

Period of Performance
8/2/19
Start Date
8/1/25
End Date
100% Complete

Funding Split
$6.1M
Federal Obligation
$0.0
Non-Federal Obligation
$6.1M
Total Obligated
100.0% Federal Funding
0.0% Non-Federal Funding

Activity Timeline

Interactive chart of timeline of amendments to 80NSSC19K1427

Subgrant Awards

Disclosed subgrants for 80NSSC19K1427

Transaction History

Modifications to 80NSSC19K1427

Additional Detail

Award ID FAIN
80NSSC19K1427
SAI Number
None
Award ID URI
SAI EXEMPT
Awardee Classifications
Nonprofit With 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other Than An Institution Of Higher Education)
Awarding Office
80NSSC NASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER
Funding Office
80NSSC NASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER
Awardee UEI
GFKFBWG2TV98
Awardee CAGE
88846
Performance District
MA-09
Senators
Edward Markey
Elizabeth Warren

Budget Funding

Federal Account Budget Subfunction Object Class Total Percentage
Science, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (080-0120) Space flight, research, and supporting activities Grants, subsidies, and contributions (41.0) $6,103,139 100%
Modified: 3/21/25